So I went to Altitude Steel today at lunch (thanks for the recommendation Drew, they were super cool) and got a bunch of steel for my winch bumper build and for some sliders...

now that i got it I am thinking twice though.... I bought 1/8 wall thicnkess 2" x3" tubing for the sliders... is that stout enough?

Thoughts?

RLMS

02-25-2008, 03:46 PM

nope, go with at least 3/16 to 1/4 :D 1-8 will bend up like a banana:cheers:

treerootCO

02-25-2008, 03:47 PM

I think 3/16" wall is the most common

rover67

02-25-2008, 05:02 PM

anybody want any material? at least it was cheap...

rover67

02-25-2008, 07:12 PM

yeah, now that i'm home holding it up there it is way too thin. i'll use it somewhere else. I think I am going to go for the 2x4 x 3/16 for the sliders unless you guys think i should use 1/4 thick stuff. maybe it's time for a trailer build with the 1/8 stuff, maybe that'll be the tire carrier for the rear :)

SROR/AKA 2BAD

02-25-2008, 09:49 PM

FYI

1/8th" IS .120 wall or 11 gauge

it's fine and will not bend like a RLM cage :p:;):lmao:

it's fine for sliders, but not bumpers.

rover67

02-25-2008, 10:20 PM

yep, .120 wall. thats what I got first. so maybe it's ok for sliders? Jim, hope you don't mind i just went ahead and started getting the stuff to do them myself... would you be willing to bend up a couple tubes (step thinggies) for them?

am planning on 1/4" for the front winch bumper main "tube" with some 1/2" plate to mount the winch.

thanks for the input guys,

-Marco

AxleIke

02-25-2008, 11:04 PM

I used 1/8" on mine. It works, but I don't really like it. they do bend and don't hold up well, by which I mean they dent.

If you can, i'd upgrade to 3/16, but if you don't want to, the 1/8 will work.

daisydog34

02-25-2008, 11:16 PM

The ones on my 4runner I made out of .250 wall 2" HREW and 2.50 wall 2x4 tube. They haven't bent at all and the wife uses them a lot!

If it were me I wouldn't use the .120 for sliders at all unless you plan on replacing them when the get dented up, or dont care. the .1875 wall will be okay IMHO

J Kimmel

02-26-2008, 07:46 AM

I've got a set from Marlin on mine, made from .120 HREW. I threw them on because they were so cheap I figured why not. I picked up a couple good dents in them in Cruces, like Daisy said, plan on replacing them every couple years if you use them.

I had a set of 2x4 .250 wall I built for my old 4Runner, they were bulletproof and I also used them a fair amount. That set replaced a pretty dented set of tube sliders on that rig. When I replace the current ones I have, I will be doing the .250 square tube route :)

HTH

Red_Chili

02-26-2008, 08:38 AM

I used 4Crawler sliders with the heavier 3/16" square tubing. They will not move, nor dent, nor bend. FWIW, Roger uses 1/8" for the outrigger legs as they are plenty strong and it saves weight. But the slider tubes are 3/16", both the outside tubes and the tube under the body pinch weld. The square tubing actually is a bit thicker in the corners where they get the most abuse, around .250.

I have built two sets of sliders with simple square tubing now, using 1/8" for outrigger legs and 3/16" for the slider tubes. Bombproof. Flapsander and Hammerite restores them to like-new.

You will find plenty of uses for your 1/8" tube. Or, I bet Altitude will swap you FWIW. Just 'splain it to 'em.

60wag

02-26-2008, 09:24 AM

To further complicate the issue... different materials will have different yield strengths. the cheaper welded tube will bend before a DOM seamless tube with the same wall thickness. The yield strength will also affect your ability to fab curves in it. With a stout hydraulic bender, the DOM is not a problem (within reason) but with a manual tubing bender, a lower strength, thinner wall may be the difference between a nicely formed curve and a kinked mistake.

J Kimmel

02-26-2008, 10:01 AM

all the .120 wall dom in my cage bent fine with a manual pro tools :) so did the misc HREW in there too. Maybe in a pipe bender or with much heavier wall but there are no kinks in my cage, only behind the wheel.